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Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
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- Lemon Slice
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Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
This scheme has now started: details: https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps
I have £275 in stamps to get swapped out. I am uncomfortable sending this amount of stamps, with no proof of amount sent. There seems no facility to get your claim checked and receipted before sending, other then trust on both sides. With the best will in the world, things can and do go wrong. I would perhaps like to see something where the form and stamps can be verified by a local Royal Mail office either before sending or as part of the sending process (how hard could that be?). I know I can use Special Delivery (and the costs will be refunded). It seems to me the scheme is open to abuse and the liability is entirely on the customer to prove what they did send if there's a problem.
What do other Fools think?
Does another Fool have any suggestion?
I have £275 in stamps to get swapped out. I am uncomfortable sending this amount of stamps, with no proof of amount sent. There seems no facility to get your claim checked and receipted before sending, other then trust on both sides. With the best will in the world, things can and do go wrong. I would perhaps like to see something where the form and stamps can be verified by a local Royal Mail office either before sending or as part of the sending process (how hard could that be?). I know I can use Special Delivery (and the costs will be refunded). It seems to me the scheme is open to abuse and the liability is entirely on the customer to prove what they did send if there's a problem.
What do other Fools think?
Does another Fool have any suggestion?
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
Didn't know about this scheme, MrsF has old stamps that have been there for years.
as it is free (except printing the form) can you just do several small applications?
Hmm, I wonder if the stamps with 1/2p on can be amalgamated to a full penny.
as it is free (except printing the form) can you just do several small applications?
Hmm, I wonder if the stamps with 1/2p on can be amalgamated to a full penny.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
Send them in small batches. If I had free printing I'd do a stamp at a time to remind them of their idiocy in not allowing swaps at Post Offices. Privatised RM are a nasty piece of work.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
If you don’t have access to a printer you can request a Stamp Swap Out form to be posted to you
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barco ... ut-request
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barco ... ut-request
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
The Swap Out page says this:
(bold added)If you have a printer, and more than £200 worth of stamps to swap out then use the Bulk Stamp Swap Out form. We recommend sending this and your non-barcoded stamps back to us via a secure service with suitable cover. The address to send to is:
Royal Mail
Swap Out
Tallents House
21 South Gyle Crescent
EDINBURGH
EH12 9PB
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
The trouble is Royal Mail are between a rock and a hard place. There is a flood of counterfeit stamps which they have to deal with, hence the introduction of barcoded stamps.
If they offered a checking service at Post Offices, would the Post Office staff be able to identify the real from the counterfeit? Probably not.
And if they couldn’t identify them then the criminals will take advantage and send in runners with £50 worth at a time (the criminals will still be posting in counterfeits for refund but their success level will be lower as I am sure the post in checks will be more rigorous).
But if the staff in the Post Office could identify them then they would then have to deal face to face with the fallout when they tell either the criminal’s runners or Mrs Miggins that her stamps are counterfeit (lots of innocent people have bought them without knowing it).
Therefore I can see why they have gone with a post in service, but However with it only being freepost up to £200 that is very consumer unfriendly. I have £100 of stamps to swap and there is not a cat in hell’s chance I will be posting them in one go - I wouldn’t trust sending £100 in cash in normal post so why would I be doing that with stamps.
As a result I will be ordering 15 forms and sending each of the 15 stamp booklets separately, and taking a photo of the open booklet before doing so.
Even so, this *will* be a story on the various TV and radio consumer shows next year when people say “I sent in £x of stamps but they said I only sent £Y or they said they didn’t receive them or they said they were counterfeit but that is impossible “, etc.
If they offered a checking service at Post Offices, would the Post Office staff be able to identify the real from the counterfeit? Probably not.
And if they couldn’t identify them then the criminals will take advantage and send in runners with £50 worth at a time (the criminals will still be posting in counterfeits for refund but their success level will be lower as I am sure the post in checks will be more rigorous).
But if the staff in the Post Office could identify them then they would then have to deal face to face with the fallout when they tell either the criminal’s runners or Mrs Miggins that her stamps are counterfeit (lots of innocent people have bought them without knowing it).
Therefore I can see why they have gone with a post in service, but However with it only being freepost up to £200 that is very consumer unfriendly. I have £100 of stamps to swap and there is not a cat in hell’s chance I will be posting them in one go - I wouldn’t trust sending £100 in cash in normal post so why would I be doing that with stamps.
As a result I will be ordering 15 forms and sending each of the 15 stamp booklets separately, and taking a photo of the open booklet before doing so.
Even so, this *will* be a story on the various TV and radio consumer shows next year when people say “I sent in £x of stamps but they said I only sent £Y or they said they didn’t receive them or they said they were counterfeit but that is impossible “, etc.
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
AF62 wrote:The trouble is Royal Mail are between a rock and a hard place. There is a flood of counterfeit stamps which they have to deal with, hence the introduction of barcoded stamps.
(snip)
Even so, this *will* be a story on the various TV and radio consumer shows next year when people say “I sent in £x of stamps but they said I only sent £Y or they said they didn’t receive them or they said they were counterfeit but that is impossible “, etc.
I tend to agree with the points you make. I wasn't so much thinking of a validation service of the genuineness of the stamps, more of something like "this form is sent in with x first class and y second class stamps" and leave the people in Edinburgh to do the checking for fraud etc.
I entirely agree with your point about the TV and radio consumer shows. This swap out scheme is so full of holes when it comes to sending back and forth of stamps that it's going to create more trouble than it's worth IMHO.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
yorkshirelad1 wrote:AF62 wrote:The trouble is Royal Mail are between a rock and a hard place. There is a flood of counterfeit stamps which they have to deal with, hence the introduction of barcoded stamps.
(snip)
Even so, this *will* be a story on the various TV and radio consumer shows next year when people say “I sent in £x of stamps but they said I only sent £Y or they said they didn’t receive them or they said they were counterfeit but that is impossible “, etc.
I tend to agree with the points you make. I wasn't so much thinking of a validation service of the genuineness of the stamps, more of something like "this form is sent in with x first class and y second class stamps" and leave the people in Edinburgh to do the checking for fraud etc.
Trouble is that you would have to make sure that Mrs Miggins really understood that - the equivalent of the police recording a ‘yellow metal bracelet’ at lost property - otherwise even more complaints if they are later rejected as counterfeit - “mine can’t have been so they must have mixed them up with some else’s, look I have a receipt for them”.
yorkshirelad1 wrote:I entirely agree with your point about the TV and radio consumer shows. This swap out scheme is so full of holes when it comes to sending back and forth of stamps that it's going to create more trouble than it's worth IMHO.
It doesn’t seem well thought out, and even if there was some more security than a standard freepost it would be something, but then I suppose they are concerned about overloading the Special Delivery system with people sending back a couple of second class stamps.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
We have quite a long while to use the unbarcoded stamps (31 January 2023) and as I only hold about two books of second class and a book of first I will most likely use them by the end of this year anyway.
Dod
Dod
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
If you consider the capital gains since I started stockpiling stamps when the prices shot away, they are the best performing part of my portfolio!
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
I'm wondering whether there has ever been a previous occasion when unused stamps ceased to be valid for use in the future?
The most likely previous occasion would have been decimalisation in 1971. I'm too young to remember what - if anything - happened then. Does anyone remember?
Watis
The most likely previous occasion would have been decimalisation in 1971. I'm too young to remember what - if anything - happened then. Does anyone remember?
Watis
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
DrFfybes wrote:Didn't know about this scheme, MrsF has old stamps that have been there for years.
as it is free (except printing the form) can you just do several small applications?
Hmm, I wonder if the stamps with 1/2p on can be amalgamated to a full penny.
Never mind that. What about the 1½d ones?
Anyway, thanks to the OP for drawing our attention to this useful resource.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
Watis wrote:I'm wondering whether there has ever been a previous occasion when unused stamps ceased to be valid for use in the future?
The most likely previous occasion would have been decimalisation in 1971. I'm too young to remember what - if anything - happened then. Does anyone remember?
Watis
Non-denominated postage was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1989 for domestic mail, in part as a workaround to the problem of fast-changing rates.
I remember every year when the rates went up there would be a rush to buy 1p or 2p stamps to make up the difference.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
Lanark wrote:Non-denominated postage was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1989 for domestic mail, in part as a workaround to the problem of fast-changing rates.
I remember every year when the rates went up there would be a rush to buy 1p or 2p stamps to make up the difference.
Which is why I still have an old collection of these.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
So has anyone used the swap out scheme?
Just wondering how long it takes, they say 7 days but ....
Also if anyone has sent in make up value stamps for values that they no longer produce. I have (for reasons lost in the mists of time) a few 35p stamps. I assume (?) that I'll get back a 25p and a 10p for each one...
Just wondering how long it takes, they say 7 days but ....
Also if anyone has sent in make up value stamps for values that they no longer produce. I have (for reasons lost in the mists of time) a few 35p stamps. I assume (?) that I'll get back a 25p and a 10p for each one...
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
Yes I've used it.
Works fine, got mine back inside 7 days.
In fact, if I remember rightlg, I sent in around £40 worth of stamps & got about £43 worth.
Works fine, got mine back inside 7 days.
In fact, if I remember rightlg, I sent in around £40 worth of stamps & got about £43 worth.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
mc2fool wrote:Also if anyone has sent in make up value stamps for values that they no longer produce. I have (for reasons lost in the mists of time) a few 35p stamps. I assume (?) that I'll get back a 25p and a 10p for each one...
Well I can now answer that. "...where a stamp is no longer produced, we add 2nd class barcoded stamps to make up the equivalent total postage value" says the letter that I got back with my new stamps after sending in the old ones.
So, while my old 1st and 2nd class stamps got replaced one-for-one, the 3 35p stamps I sent in, worth 3*35=£1.05, got replaced by 2 2nd class stamps, worth 2*68=£1.36. Stonking profit that .....
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- Lemon Pip
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
I’m now at nearly 3 weeks from sending in a Freepost application… no response yet!
They do say allow 15 working days before contacting them so I’m now very close to that.
Why is nothing ever easy? Hassle and telephone queues coming my way it seems! Sigh……
They do say allow 15 working days before contacting them so I’m now very close to that.
Why is nothing ever easy? Hassle and telephone queues coming my way it seems! Sigh……
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Royal Mail Swap out scheme: proving what you've sent
I sent mine off in the first week of July, ahead of the expected final push - here's one such example from MSE, re-upped from June:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/ ... k-warning/
HTH someone!
Watis
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/ ... k-warning/
HTH someone!
Watis
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